Alan Carroll
Commercial cutters and homeowners cut the same kind of grass in the same kind of conditions. Which leads to the question:
Why do commercial cutters need a different lawnmower than homeowners?
A typical home owner uses their lawnmower around 30 hours a year. A busy commercial cutter may put that much time on a mower in a week. If a mower was designed to last a homeowner 12 years, how long do you think it's going to last a commercial cutter? No long! A professional in nearly any trade is likely to have quality tools for their profession that last longer and perform better than homeowner hobbyist quality tools. That being said, many homeowners choose to buy high quality tools, and many choose to buy a commercial or mid-grade mower for their home because they appreciate the longer life and better performance they offer.
Machines promoted with the word commercial in the sub description
Just because you see the word “Commercial” used somewhere in the description of a mower, does not mean it is a “Commercial Mower”. Marketers often say things like, “Commercial Features” or “Commercial Inspired” or Commercial Style this or that, because it makes it sound well built. If it was actually a commercial mower then they wouldn’t be playing word games.
Most of the mowers that are described as having “commercial this or that” are homeowner mowers that typically have a 3 year homeowner use warranty, but probably only have a 30 or 60 day warranty for commercial use. Homeowner use means cutting your own yard, commercial use is cutting multiple yards.
Machines with a commercial use warranty
Another way the word “Commercial” is frequently used is “Commercial Use Warranty”. This is actually meaningful because it is being backed up with a warranty for commercial use by the manufacturer. This is often used on mid-grade / semi-commercial mowers that are intended for part time commercial use, or for the homeowner with acreage, or for the homeowner without acreage that wants a longer lasting better performing mower.
Commercial use warranties are usually stated in hours and years. For example “3 years or 300 hours, which ever comes first” is common for mid-grade machines. Where as higher end commercial machines might have a 5 year 1500 hour warranty. Sometimes residential mower warranties are stated in this format as well, a common one being 3 years or 120 hours, which ever comes first. Of course a manufacturer warranty is only as good as the manufacturer that stands behind it, which is why it is important to go with a manufacturer that will take on responsibility by authorizing reasonable warranty work to be performed at their expense and with a dealer that is competent to thoroughly execute the work authorized.
Warranty exclusions
Even with a clear warranty period of so many hours and so many years, there will still be exclusions which would typically include maintenance items, problems caused by lack of maintenance, abuse, etc. Also typical is for certain items to have separate warranty terms. For example the machine may have a 5 year warranty, but the warranty on the engine may be limited to 3 years and the warranty on the battery limited to 1 year.
What actually makes commercial mowers commercial?
In general heavier more durable components and materials to provide more durability and performance, as well as more comfort to allow the operator to withstand more hours of use.
- Heavier Steel and more Reinforcements
- Larger Blade Spindles & Spindle Shafts
- Heavier Belts
- Heavier Deck to Mower Frame Mounting System
- Larger Tires
- Faster Groundspeed
- Higher Grade Transmissions
- Higher Grade Engine
- Enhanced Operator Comfort
